Zharsteri

Goddess of the Stars and Neutral Dragons

Zharsteri is one of the more mysterious and enigmatic gods. She is one of the three dragon goddesses and thus commands immense power and respect. However, she seems to care little for the politics and machinations of gods or mortals, preferring to study and explore the mysteries of the stars and the space between spaces. Zharsteri is highly intelligent and analytical, even by the standards of gods and dragons. She seldom responds personally to inquiries from other beings, preferring to send one of her emissaries if she chooses to respond at all. Zharsteri is usually depicted as a massive dragon whose scales are black, speckled with stars and the occasional blues and purples that resemble distant galaxies or celestial phenomena. Her eyes are typically shown to be two white-hot points within the void, like a pair of white dwarf stars, and her wings are depicted as being made up of several different star constellations put together to form them.
Zharsteri was always somewhat aloof and distant, even when she and her sisters were young. Gorlithe and Yndrasa constantly bickered with each other, but Zharsteri preferred to stay out of the arguments. She never saw any point to it as neither side seemed likely to change or even cared what the other side had to say. Zharsteri cared for both her sisters and her mother, Pemgirvei. It was because she cared for them that she chose to stay for as long as she did. But she had always looked at the stars and the lightless space between them with wonder, always wondering what mysteries were hidden in the space between spaces. So when Gorlithe murdered their mother and what little sisterly bond Gorlithe and Yndrasa had left erupted into the flames of war, Zharsteri chose not to partake in the conflict. Instead, she decided to set forth on the sojourn into the stars she had dreamed of for so long.
Zharsteri has continued to remain out of the conflict between Gorlithe and Yndrasa despite their attempts to contact and sway her to their side. Some have viewed this as cowardice, while others think Zharsteri believes such conflicts are beneath her. Those few who have managed to contact Zharsteri have asked, and she simply ignores that line of questioning each time. Pursuing it is one of the quickest ways to end the conversation with her, as she will grow bored of it quickly and simply leave. When Zharsteri personally responds to a god or mortal, many consider it a great privilege, considering how rare an occurrence it is, even by the standards of gods.
Those who worship Zharsteri are usually stargazers and philosophers. Many neutral-aligned dragons respect Zharsteri's thirst for knowledge and dedication to the exploration of the unknown. Zharsteri is also a draconic goddess whose non-draconic worshippers are the least likely to idolize dragons or seek out dragons to pledge service. Many of her non-draconic worshippers seek to better understand the mysteries of the galaxy and beyond. Others seek truth in divinations of the constellations and planetary movements.
Of the three draconic goddesses, Zharsteri has the most places dedicated to her worship. This is because she has the most non-draconic worshippers. These places are often built as observatories or libraries devoted to studying and documenting the stars and other celestial phenomena. These structures are often built in places where the view of the night sky is optimal and can be observed with relative ease. It is not uncommon for dragons who worship Zharsteri to also choose lair locations that provide them with a view of the night sky or to lair near a pre-existing church of Zharsteri.

Mental characteristics

Gender Identity

She/Her

Zharsteri's Holy Symbol by Atreyu.Studio

Domains:
Darkness, Knowledge, Madness, Magic, Scalykind, Void
Favored Weapon:
Claws or (TBD)

Divine Classification

Intermediate Deity

Religions

• Chudene

Alignment

Neutral

Zharsteri Holy Symbol by -FRA-